With the 2026 Formula 1 season paused after the opening three rounds, Sky Sports F1 assesses how each driver has performed so far. Ratings are given in Drivers’ Championship order.
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes – 8/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 72-63
Antonelli has shown remarkable resilience after a big crash in final practice in Australia. The 19-year-old is the youngest driver to lead the championship after three races. He dominated in China and recovered from a poor start in Japan to protect his points lead, displaying strong race pace even if Safety Car timing occasionally worked in his favour.
George Russell, Mercedes – 8/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 63-72
Russell began the campaign well, taking victory in Australia and winning the China Sprint, but a qualifying issue in Shanghai and some inconsistency since have stalled his momentum. He’s still quick, but has found the new style of wheel-to-wheel racing trickier when battling Ferraris.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 8.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 49-41
Leclerc has continued to extract performance from the Ferrari, recovering from a tougher weekend in China to produce a superb drive in Japan. Two podiums from three races underline his consistency and racecraft.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari – 7.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 41-49
Hamilton appeared refreshed early in the year and scored his first Ferrari podium in China. Suzuka was less kind: Leclerc had the edge all weekend and Hamilton could only manage sixth, despite another Safety Car opportunity that might have boosted his result.
Lando Norris, McLaren – 7/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 0-3 / Points vs team-mate: 25-21
The reigning champion has been limited by McLaren’s early issues, notably being unable to start in China. Limited running has hurt him and being outqualified by Oscar Piastri at all three events will be a frustration, though he salvaged a solid P5 in Japan.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren – 7.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 3-0 / Points vs team-mate: 21-25
Piastri’s season got off to a dramatic start with a crash en route to the grid at his home race, partially blamed on a torque spike and a driving error. He’s been consistent since and was unfortunate in Japan where Safety Car timing denied him a real shot at victory.
Oliver Bearman, Haas – 7.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 17-1
Bearman has been one of the early surprises, following a P7 in Australia with P5 in China and comfortably outqualifying and outscoring his team-mate. Suzuka was a setback — a surprise Q1 exit followed by a crash in the race — but his opening form was impressive.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine – 8.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 3-0 / Points vs team-mate: 15-1
Gasly has delivered a superb start, finishing in the points in all three races and sitting P8 in the standings. He’s shown consistent one-lap pace and good race management, including strong defensive work against top rivals.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 7/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 12-4
By his standards Verstappen has been underwhelming. He’s struggled to get on top of the new cars and his Red Bull in particular, recovering from a qualifying crash in Australia to P6 then only managing P8 in Japan after a shock Q2 elimination.
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls – 7/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 10-4
Lawson has been competitive against rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad, earning seventh-place finishes in both the Chinese Sprint and main race. The pair have been close in qualifying, but Lawson has had the edge in key moments.
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls – 7.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 4-10
The rookie has impressed on debut, showing bravery and pace — notably a brilliant Suzuka lap that knocked Verstappen out in Q2. With slightly different Safety Car timing he might have converted more weekends into points.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull – 7/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 4-12
Hadjar has upset expectations at times, outqualifying Verstappen on merit in Japan and looking like the most credible team-mate Verstappen has had since Ricciardo. A spin in China remains his only significant mistake so far.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi – 7/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 2-0
With both Audi drivers suffering DNFs and non-starts, it’s been hard to form a full judgement. Bortoleto has shown one-lap speed and scored Audi’s only points so far in Australia.
Carlos Sainz, Williams – 7.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 2-0
Despite Williams’ limitations, Sainz has made the most of the package, scoring in China and demonstrating an ability to extract performance from a tricky car.
Esteban Ocon, Haas – 6/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 1-17
Ocon has been off the pace relative to Bearman, missing Q3 in Australia and China. He improved in Japan to score his first point, but the early gap to his team-mate is clear.
Franco Colapinto, Alpine – 5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 0-3 / Points vs team-mate: 1-15
Colapinto is being heavily outperformed by Gasly. He’s nearly a second slower in qualifying at recent events and has lacked race pace — a continuation of last season’s struggles.
Nico Hülkenberg, Audi – 6.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 0-2
Hülkenberg has shown decent race pace and could have potentially scored in Japan if not for time lost fighting Bortoleto. He’s been solid but has yet to convert runs into points.
Alex Albon, Williams – 6/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 0-2
Albon has struggled more than Sainz to adapt to the new cars and power units, showing a deficit in outright pace that he’ll want to close.
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac – 6/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 1-2 / Points vs team-mate: 0-0
Bottas holds a slightly better finishing position among the Cadillac drivers but has shown marginally less one-lap pace than his team-mate overall.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac – 6.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 2-1 / Points vs team-mate: 0-0
Perez has demonstrated competitive race pace in Australia and China, suggesting the returning driver still has strong form even if results haven’t yet followed.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 6.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 3-0 / Points vs team-mate: 0-0
Alonso is hard to judge given Aston Martin’s situation, but he remains clearly the team’s leading driver and continues to show strong racecraft and determination.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 5.5/10
Qualifying vs team-mate: 0-3 / Points vs team-mate: 0-0
Stroll has yet to finish a race this season and has been outqualified by Alonso at every event, leaving him with a lot to prove as the season progresses.
Formula 1 returns May 1-3 at the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.